Garment blocking and forming apparatus



March 9. 0- 0. Y.- BROWN ET AL 2,

GARMENT BLOCKING AND FORMING APPARATUS Filed March 21, 1938 Je fferson D. Bro wn INVENTORS BY Cid/{24m ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar.

fialsazss I GARMENT BLOCKING 7 s, I

'- APPARATUS.

' f :Owen Y. .Brown and Jefferson D'. Brown, Fort v Worth, "Tex, assignors, by: direct and gmesne assignments, of twenty-five per cent to Travis -H.-Small,' and twenty-five' per cent to J. A.

Lovelhboth of Fort Worth, Tex.

Application March' e1; .193 Serial No. 197,117 I I This invention relates to laundryanddry clean- I ing equipment for wearing apparel and ithas v particular :reference to apparatusdor blocking "and forming; garments, such' as womens gowns- 5 and fancy dresses, and its principal object resides in'the provision of an adjustable frame structure generally conforming 'in outline to I the human form and designed for expansionand contraction uniformly alteringi-ts contour to'attain the-de- I :10 sired sizeand shape.

Another object of the invention-resides in the provision ofa device of the'character described 'especiallyadapted to use in cleaning. establish- 1 s j I ments for retaining garments in their original size and shape ,while drying, particularly when such garments have been washed I rather than dry cleaned, and eliminating 'much iof the necessity for pressing the articleafterward, it being neces- -sary-o'nly, in most instances, to merely .touch 0 'up.- any trim, or the like. 7 I {y? I v s Yet another-object of the invention is manifest "the provision of a device embodying few operative parts and presenting a sirnple', ineX-,

pensive structure which affords "an; economical 3 5 medium through which "cleaners. can properly perform the operations usually attendant upon, the cleaning and pressing of del-icatefabrics without injury thereto and maintain the size and shape of the garments.

v Broadly, the invention seeks to comprehend th provision of a device highly useful in the art of cleaning, easily manipulated and providing means enabling cleaners operating small and modest plants to offer a service to the public equalin every respect to that afforded by larger establishments, and such device may find favor inthef.

home. g m I -=Whi1e the foregoing objects are paramount,

other and lesser objects will become manifestas the description proceeds taken in connection with the appended-drawing wherein v Figure 1 isa front elevational view of the invention illustrating, in dotted lines; a variation in its contour. 1

" 5 I Figure 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional illus-,

tration of one of the adjustmentsof the invention.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view 0f; the central stay supporting the framework of the-device.

, Figure 4 is afragmentarycross-sectional illustration of one of theadjustable retaining members slidably engagingthe flexible frame,'and s *Figure 5 isalateral cross-sectionalillustration "of the stay member; l

Accordingly, therefore, the invention consists primarilyof a mainsupporting orbody member I,; preferably of wood, and' comprising two .sections each-having a longitudinal groove 2 in theiropposing faces. Thus, when the two sectionsfiof the member I are assembled and-a strip ofsheet fi j metalstript therethrough, to-accommodatecross ifi *arms 1 at Whose outer ends are secured theupper ,fend s of arcuate sections of tubing or sheaths i3 being opposingly arranged and Gwhich cur ve downwardly meeting at their opposite ends "and terminating within one of "the passages. 4' or- 5, -20 I provided bythe grooves 2, as illustrated in i ure 2. Thesheaths '8 are secured to thejcr'ossi arms #1 ate and to each other at, b-iby welding, or

similar device.

Through each of the'sheaths tare 'slidablygzfi arranged stays -9 comprised of lengths of i lexible steel wire of medium gage and which are securely attached at their inner ends'at'c Within one of the passages 4 or 5,- ;as illustrated in Figure 2. l The sheaths 8, as previously stated, curve down-n30 Wardly from thelo'uter ends of the-arms l, and

enter the member I inan arcuate coursethrough passages H! which communicate with thepassag'es 4 and 5 in thesame manner as do-the passages fi I through which the arm 1 is arranged. t,

' As illustrated in Figure 1, it. is apparent that several of the assemblies just described are ar {ranged laterally through the member although the arms 1 and the sheaths 8 graduate inflength from the top to :the bottomof the device andl;,;g10 each of the assemblies are'positioned' sothat" the,

F arcuate sheaths 8 extend downwardly with, ex-

ception to the lowermost of these members which curve upwardly from the lowermost arm l but I terminate within'one. of the passagesf i or 5 inked,

the same manneras the others of these-members, Secured to the outer ends of the 'staysffifsube stantially T-shaped connections I l s'lidabl-y' re ceive vertically disposed frame members '1 2, com-f prisinglengths of flexible steelwireLWhich freely- I operate through -bores l3-arranged through vertically disposed integral cylindrical portions of the-connections I l,-as -illustrated particularly in Figure 4. Between the two lowermost arms '1 andbetween the'outer ends orthe-lengths of wire gs 1 supported by these members are provided lengths of tubing. I4 through which the lowermost ends of the vertically arranged lengths of wire or frame members l2 slidably operate. vThe lengths of tubing M are engaged at their uppermost ends and near their lowermost ends by connections I which are similar in construction to the members I I, previously described.

The lowermost members also slidably engage the tubing l4 although-the uppermost of the members l5 arerigidly secured tothe uppermost ends of the sections of tubing I4 so that the latter are immovable with respect to these mem- 'bers.

vice, is provided between the'uppermost ends of the Vertically arranged Wire: frame members 12 and the, stays 9 projecting from the ends of the uppermost of the arcuate sheaths 8'," asillustrat- "ed in Figure l. The device is provided at its uppermostend with downwardly inclined brackets "ll arrangedon eachside of the member I suitably supporting the shouldersof the garment arranged on the device. Aconventionalhanger hook l8, alsosecured to the uppermost end of ,the member 1, provides means for suspending the apparatus in the drying room.

In operation, a garment, such as a ladys dress, whenthe same has been washed or otherwise subjected to a cleaning process, is arranged upon Mtheinvention and thenvertical frame members 12 are urged inwardly or outwardly to properly conform to the contour of the garment, the proper size of the latter havingbeen previously determined, and the I dressi suspended in the drying room. Afterthe necessary adjustments 1 {have been accomplished the garment will dry manually operated to a differentpcsition. The

tendency of the highly resilient wire stays 9 is that of'strai ghteningvout after thesame have been flexed and consequently the greatest tensionis exerted at the ends ofthe sheaths 8, thus the wire stays, 9 -maintain their fixed positions to which they are manually, operated as described. I

. Since the free ends of the wire stays 9 are se- 1 cured together at c' it is necessary only to manually manipulate the-connections H, [5 and I6 on one side of the: invention in-order to attain uniformity and cause the device to assume the 'proper form; For example, when the connection Ii at the waistline is manipulated inwardly or outwardly-the opposite wire stay 9 is also manipulatedinthe samemanner moving the same distance toward or away from the member 'I and flexing the Wire frame member It? to assume the "same form or degree of curve as that of the opposite wireframe member l2, the lower ends of thereon.v

these members slidably extending into the lengths'of tubing M at thelower end of the device providing a uniformly flexible assembly affording the minutest adjustmentsconformingto the size and general shapeof any garment fitted Althoughthe invention has beendescribed with pended claims.

A ball joint connection 16,- or similar de- I cations maybe resorted tofrom time to time by those skilled in the artand suchchanges and modifications as may be considered within the spirit and intent of the invention may also be considered as fallingwithin-the scope of the ap- What is claimedis: I v

1. A garment blocking and. forming device comprising .a central body member, a flexible frame adjustably supported by the said .body

member, flexible stays slidably connected to the said frame at spaced. intervals along each side of the said body'member and received'within the same, tubular means encasing the said flexible stays and frictionally retaining the said frame in variable symmetrical forms."

2. In agarment forming and blocking apparatus, a central bodymember, a flexible frame supported by the said body member and sym metrically conformable therewith; flexible stays slidably engaging-the saidframeat their outer ends; curved sheaths entering the said body member at their inner ends and slidably'receiving the said stays, the said sheaths being spaced along each sideof the said body member and frictionally retaining the said arms in variablefixed positions. 1' 4 r r p v 3. A garment forming; and blocking device comprising a central support, a flexible frame,

aranged longitudin ally of the said support, armate sheaths spaced along and extending from each-side of the said support, flexible stays slidablyconnected at theirouter ends to the said frame and adapted to-slidab-ly enter the said sheaths at their opposite ends, the said sheaths frictionally retaining the saidstays in fixed positionwherebythe said frame is uniformlyflexed to andvfrictionally retained in a symmetrical shape. t I Y LA; garment forming and blocking device comprising a central support, a flexible frame arranged longitudinally of the said support, curved tubular sheaths extending from the said support, flexible stays slidably connected at their outer ends tothe said frame and slidably received by the saidsheaths at their opposite ends,

the said sheaths frictionally and adjustably retaining the said stays in fixed position.

5. A garment forming and blockingapparatus comprising a centralrigid support, a multiple of curved tubular sheaths connected in the said support,.,a,multiple of paired flexed stays of a flexible materialfslidably received by the said sheaths and partiaily embraced thereby, a flexible frame adjustably supported by the said stays, means secured to the outer ends of the said stays s1idab1y; eng aging .the said frame and friction means. retaining, the said stays in adjusted posi- 6. In a garment blocking and vforming device comprisingacentral body member and a flexible Wire frame supported by the saidbo'dy member,

arcuate tubular supporting sheaths opposingly arranged on each side of the said bodymember and extending thereinto, paired flexible stays having their outer endsslidably connected to'the said frame-and received by the said sheaths and having their inner ends connected, the said stays adapted to be flexed and retained in fixed'positions withinthe said-sheaths;

.7 In a garment forming and blocking device, having a central body member,- the said fbOdY member having vertical passages therein, arou- 1 ate tubular, sheaths spaced along each side of the;

great particularity, certain changes and modifiv 2,195,235 a v l 3 said' body'member vand' having their inner ends 1 having their innerends merging-within the said extending into the said passages therein a series passages and supported by the saidbody memof paired wire stays received vby the said sheaths b'er, flexible stays adjustably received by the said and connected at their inneriends, a'fiexible Wire sheaths, and extending into the said passages, frame slidably supported at the-outer ends-of the 'slidable' connections between the 'outer ends of 5 said stays whereby the contour of the said frame the said stays and the said frame providing ad.- is symmetrically varied by the longitudinal movejustablefsupports for the said frame and means ment of the said stays. V I nfrictionally retaining" the. said stays in adjusted .8. In a garment blocking and forming device, position. i 10 a central body member having longitudinal pas OWEN Y. BROWN. ,10

sages'therein, a flexible frame, arcuately formed JEFFERSON D. BROWN. I tubular sheaths opposingly arranged in pairs and a 

